The third season of TNT’s post-apocalyptic series Snowpiercer will premiere Jan. 24 with Colombian actor Roberto Urbina back as engineer Javier “Javi” De La Torre.

De La Torre is one of a few engineers on a train called Snowpiercer, which has been constantly on the move for seven years since a worldwide environmental catastrophe brought another ice era to planet Earth. The long locomotive serves as the home of what little remains of humanity, about 3000 people who endure class warfare, social injustice and the desperation for survival.  

The series is based on the 2013 film of the same title directed by Bong Joon-Ho—whose film Parasite won three Oscars last year—and the 1982 French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, which was adapted by Hollywood to the big screen. The TNT series debuted in 2020 and became a top cable drama. 

Urbina’s Snowpiercer cast colleagues are Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly, Grammy and Tony Award-winner Daveed Diggs, Sean Bean, Rowan Blanchard, Emmy-nominee Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, Iddo Goldberg, Katie McGuinness, Tony Award-winner and Grammy-nominee Lena Hall, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Sheila Vand, Steven Ogg and Mike O’Malley. They will be joined in the third season by Emmy-nominee Archie Panjabi and Chelsea Harris. 

The return of Urbina’s character ensures the third season will keep its only Spanish-surnamed actor as part of the main cast. It is also a surprise as Javier’s death was suggested at the end of season two when the engineer joined a fatal revolt to take over Snowpiercer. The series has had a few other Latinos as guest actors during its first two seasons, including Renée Victor as Mama Grandé who survives a revolution in which her grandson Santiago, played by Michel Issa Rubio, was killed.

Bogota-born Urbina is a rising Latino star whose breakout roles include the 2003 Bolivian drama feature Dependencia Sexual (Sexual Dependency), Bolivia’s entry to the 76th Academy Awards, and the crime thriller Hacia la Oscuridad (Towards Darkness), opposite Golden Globe-winner America Ferrera. With a career that includes both Hollywood and Latin America, the actor has appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s Che: Part One, the Netflix series Narcos and the Colombian series Correo de Inocentes. 

“Snowpiercer has been an incredibly successful series for us that continues to capture the imagination of viewers, grow audience and maintain strong ratings,” say Sam Linsky and Adrienne O’Riain, co-heads of scripted original programming for TNT. 

The show is executive produced by Graeme Manson, Aubrey Nealon, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Matthew O’Connor, Christoph Schrewe, Ben Rosenblatt and Scott Derrickson, and the original film’s producers, including Joon-Ho, Miky Lee, Jinnie Choi, Park Chan-Wook, Lee Tae-Hun and Dooho Choi. It is produced by Tomorrow Studios.

The series’ popularity has led the cable channel to keep the Snowpiercer engine going. “All of our seasons embark on an emotional, unexpected ride and the well-plotted storylines will continue to evolve and remain relevant to audiences,” add Linsky and O’Riain. “We’re excited to keep the train running into season four.”   

It is unknown if Urbina’s engineer remains on the train in the fourth season.

Featured Photo: Roberto Urbina in ‘Snowpiercer’ (Credit: TNT)

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